Monday, May 30, 2005

Concerts

In Harmony 20 - James Barnes
27th May 2005

Hobart Centennial March
Festive Music for Singapore (World Premiere)
Poetic Intermezzo
Fantasy Variations
Alvamar Overture
Fifth Symphony - Phoenix

All music by James Barnes.

I think this concert went pretty well, except for some hip cups that I shall not mention.

Barnes, in my opinion, is an extremely humourous man!

A typical comment from him:

"...trombones, I'm sorry that your parts are so difficult. I understand that it's quite high for trombones to do this but, too bad!"

It got to a point on the last day of rehearsal when it got predictable that the "too bad" was coming and someone pipped in "Too bad!" before he managed to say it!

Another funny comment from him:

"No! The wind chimes are too loud!"

"This is Barnes."

*makes gentle sweeping motion with his hand*

"This is Holsinger."

*makes violent slapping motion with his hand*

Holsinger, for Reader's information, is a composer who writes extremely loud music.

Anyway, I think the concert went well. I really enjoyed myself playing for this concert. I can't remember the last time when I actually enjoyed myself so much!

Maybe it's the people in the section that I'm playing with; I haven't heard the section sound so nice for a long time.

Also, thank you all who had such kind comments for me. They are all appreciated!



Philadelphia
28th May 2005

Carnival Overture - Dvorak
Piano Concerto No. 1 - Tchaikovsky, soloist: Lang Lang
Concerto for Orchestra - Bartok

I think the orchestra started off very convincingly! The overture was played with such energy and enthusiasm from the orchestra. Nice!

The piano concerto was a bit flat though. The orchestra was good. Perhaps I was a bit hyped up by Lang's fame and reputation. Oh my goodness, he's my age and he's already so accomplished. Look at me - I'm still a struggling 3rd rate oboist. Darn.



Philadelphia
29h May 2005

Concerto for Oboe - Mozart, soloist: Richard Woodhams
Symphony No. 5 in C minor - Mahler

One word.

Wow!

I wonder where Woodhams got his stamina from! It's really phenomenal! How can anyone play the Mozart so effortlessly and continue with Mahler 5 in the second half?

I'm wondering if he came from another planet of which the inhabitants do nothing but play oboe.

The Mozart was technically very impressive. The only thing I didn't like about it was the cadenzas. They weren't quite classical. Oh well!

The first chord of the concerto was the nicest I have ever heard. The 3 basses were practically firing sonic waves at me - I was facing their sound boards directly.

The Philadelphia brass section is really strong!

Quoting a brass player friend of mine: "What can I say?"

The Mahler 5 was simply one of the best that I've heard. It was a wonderful first time for me, listening to it "live".

I wouldn't even mind going to listen to them again today again if they are playing it!

It was such an amazing experience.

Berlin, Berlin, when are you coming?
fjozn at 1:29 PM

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Back to blog

The past week's been quite tiring. Everyday was filled with full band practices, some half days, some full day.

I'm having a reed crisis! Darn. I hate it when things like this happen, especially with such a major concert looming around the corner.

James Barnes would be down for rehearsal starting from Tuesday. I wonder what kind of person he is. Hmmm...

It has come to my attention recently that I can be sued for defaming someone on this site! Sheesh, it's time to keep certain comments to myself. Anyway, I have been criticized for being too critical too!

As such, I shall write something nice about the SSO since I said their concert was horrible last week. The concert with Hillary Hahn was great. Very entertaining! Hahn played very well! I'm not trying to be artificial, I really enjoyed it. The Rachmaninov 2 was good too. It was so much better than the previous week! Ok, I didn't quite like the Prokofiev Concerto - it was very un-concert-ish. Oh well, the playing was good all the same.

I had my oboe serviced and adjusted earlier this week. Yanko Petrov, who was formerly a Howarth craftsman, did quite a good job on it!

He flatten my Ab, Bb and Db. I had to readjust the Db back myself as he changed the oboe to a more English way, which didn't suit me. He also fixed my octave boxes which weren't sealing ideally. And he has very nice reed cases! Darn. I'm tempted now.

I shall complain about something!

The goat is constantly going on strike for no good reason! Quick say meh! You goat.
fjozn at 10:15 AM

Saturday, May 14, 2005

How I got my new Oakley

I have a new pair of Wiretap!

Anyway the story goes like this:

I have a nice jacket which I got a couple of years back which has been sitting in my office for ages. Shannon the Toad who is a sucker for nice jackets, who shares the office with me, likes it so much that he keeps bugging to sell it to him.

Initially I was quite reluctant till he made me a very irresistible deal.

He will swap his Oakley Wiretap which he don't use for my jacket which I don't use either.

And I did! TADA! New sunglasses!

Hey Shannon! How's your new jacket? =P

Anyway, I think I have too many pairs of sunglasses now. I just gave my old Ray Ban to my dad. Is anyone interested in a black pair of Oakley Valve? There's a slight tarnish on the silver part. The rest of the frame and lens are all in good condition! E-mail me!

I actually had my sights on a Ducati Half-Jacket but I think a certain someone would start nagging at me if I go and buy it. Still, does anyone know where I can get it in Asian frame? The conventional frame size is too big for me!

*

I'm starting to think that some soloists should just stick to playing and not venture onto the conductor's podium.

Shlomo Mintz plays the violin very well but I'm sorry to say that he can't conduct for nuts.

The Coriolan Overture was rather boring.

First movement of Beethoven 8th was flat and boring.

Second movement was painfully slow.

Third movement was fine; I think it was the best of the whole symphony.

Fourth was like first. In fact, the whole symphony is so lacking of character!

The Violin concerto would have probably sound better if Lan Shui were at the helm. Mintz played his part nicely but he just couldn't raise the orchestra to the occasion.

Well, at least he saved the concert with his delightful playing on the violin and the 2 nice encores!
fjozn at 11:31 PM

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Bands

Let pinpoint a cause of the standards of school bands in Singapore.

The conductor.

Pardon me - it should more correctly - instructor.

Just look at the number of unqualified instructors around in Singapore. Some think just because they had been playing in bands for a number of years make them qualified to be one.

In the blog of one, he confidently boasts that his teaching methods "work". He attributes the failure of his method in his previous school to the students. They were "unreceptive" of his methods.

Now that he's helping out in a school which obtained a Silver for the SYF, he's happily claiming that his methods are indeed "helpful" and is just "a matter of who he's teaching".

What the hell!

If you ask me, he's just riding on the success of the main instructor.

If your methods are proven with a good track record, they will work anywhere. For goodness sake, both the schools in question are neighbourhood schools! Why should the students be different in School A and School B?

I might be wrong but I think he's really dumb and unlearned. That's my judgment from his comments in his blog. It's precisely with people like him in Singapore that's why the band scene is going nowhere. People like him are jeopardizing the system! They are compromising the standards of music.

Well, blame it on the way of life.

They came out with the Honours award to reduce the number of "top" bands. Soon, all instructors would be expected to clinch gold with honours no less. And what will we have next? Gold with first class upper honours? Band summa cum laude?

Oh wait! That might not be enough. How about a platinum level? Platinum with honours?

In the same said blog, he still can "haha" when the attendance of a band is one of only brasses?

What kind of message is he sending to the students who read his blog? Oh, it's ok to skip practices. Mr ABC would just laugh it off.

And you want to know what's scary? His students love him! Oh man, where's the band scene heading?

Please, if you're a self respecting instructor, do not shot yourself in the foot by writing like a bimbo.

Speaking of which, I wonder if any of my students happen to be reading this. Mathematically speaking, they might be. After all, the weirdest people whom you totally don't expect to be reading this had tumbled upon my blog. What's new?

This leads me to another factor - the tutors.

I admit that my students are not the best, considering that I only had less than 5 sessions with them. If I can successfully change their playing postures, embouchures and breathing in 5 sessions, I think I should be charging $500 per session as a miracle worker!

Some tutors I know really raised doubts in my minds when they discuss teaching methods with me. I may not be the best in the land but some things they said are just plain disturbing. Why do instructors pay them $50 an hour only to have them teaching rhythms?

We are specializing in the instrument, not rhythm.

Honestly, I'm quite sick of band music!

I just read an article in the Instrumentalist which amused me a lot. The writer was complaining about modern pieces for bands which are very abstract.

Half the time, the composer spends 10 minutes explaining the piece. "...at this point in the Farm Symphony, you will hear so and so instruments creating a sound which is suppose to represent the little goat eating grass and meh-ing..."

"...and in the third movement, you will hear a little cow walking along happily, poking her companion with her hooves..."

That reminds me of a piece I played a year ago, the title was something vivacity, I can't remember the name. It was horrendously abstract; I'm no fan of abstract stuffs. Give me good old boring Beethoven!
fjozn at 3:48 PM

Questions

Things I don't understand.

Why are people treating the SYF like a war?

Why do people congratulate alumni of certain schools for their achievements in the SYF? A to B who graduated from ABCJC donkey years ago: "Hey! I heard ABCJC got gold with honours! Congrats!"

Why must people start bitching about how other bands don't deserve what they get?

Why don't they consider the recipients' feelings? Hearing horrible things being said about you when you tried your best. It's not the best thing in the world; I know that - I've been through it before.

Why do some people constantly think that they are better than the judges?

Why do we still have SYF?

Someone tell me why I shouldn't think that the SYF should be abolished?
fjozn at 11:20 AM

Saturday, May 07, 2005

In appreciation

To show my appreciation of my friends at work who are reading this blog, I shall write something about them!

Keith is fat and Shannon is ugly!

Thank you!

*takes a bow*
fjozn at 10:27 AM

Thursday, May 05, 2005

People

Sometimes I really feel like blasting out at certain people here.

I did before but that involved only people who are not directly involved with my life. People like Doreen Tan, whom I can just pretend to ignore when I see them on the streets.

I, however, cannot write about people who are still in the same organization with me. Yes, it makes me artificial but I would rather stay politically correct than to step on anyone's tail. After all, more and more people from my workplace are reading this and who knows what a misinterpreted sentence can lead to.

I wouldn't want to start an internal war!

Yes, there are people and standards that I'm not happy at but I shall not name them.

Call me artificial, hypocrite or whatsoever, but isn't that what we all are?
fjozn at 1:54 AM